The Manor F1 Team will test GP2 Series stars Jordan King and Rio Haryanto in the post-Abu Dhabi Pirelli tyre test on 1 December.
King, already a Development Driver with the team, will take to the track for the first time in a Formula 1 car during the test, having attended the races in the United States and Mexico with the team in a non-racing capacity. The British driver has a best finish of second in his rookie season of GP2, racing as Alexander Rossi’s team-mate at Racing Engineering.
“The Development Driver role has been a fantastic opportunity for me this season and I have enjoyed and benefited from every minute spent with the team,” revealed King.
“The European rounds of GP2 Series mirrored the F1 races, so it was very easy to combine my racing commitments with spending time shadowing the Manor drivers and engineers.
“In Austin and Mexico I was able to fully immerse myself in the F1 environment and I’m learning about how things work on and off the race track.
“Naturally, what I’ve been looking forward to most is the chance to drive the MR03B, and I can’t wait to bring everything I’ve learned together in Abu Dhabi next week.”
Haryanto has two previous F1 tests under his belt having run in both the 2010 and 2012 young driver test, and has three victories in this season’s GP2 Series season with Campos Racing and sits fourth in the championship.
“I’m really looking forward to being back with the team at the Abu Dhabi test,” said Haryanto. “In many ways it is essentially the same team, although the car is quite different.
“I feel much better prepared for this test, and after a very competitive season in GP2, I can’t wait to show how much I have developed to become a more complete driver.”
